CH 31

Lin Qingyu couldn’t react for a while. Lu Wancheng is eighteen today? 

According to Lu Wancheng’s Eight Characters, he was already long past eighteen. He was actually approaching the age of weak crown. This eighteen-year-old wasn’t Lu Wancheng. It could only be – Him.

It was only a birthday and it wasn’t multiple-of-ten birthday. If this was his own birthday, Lin Qingyu wouldn’t have cared about it, much less waited specially and woken up someone in the middle of the night for it. If this was before, he would have driven him back to the bottom bunk, turned around and continued to sleep. But Lu Wancheng’s eyes were so clear and bright, as though he’d been looking forward to it for a long time, just to share this little secret with him at this moment.

Lin Qingyu sat up. He swept his long messy hair past his shoulders and walked down the steps to get out of bed. He could hardly make out anything in the dark and his clothes brushed against the ground. Going down the stairs, it was all too easy to carelessly make a misstep. Lin Qingyu really couldn’t understand how he had been convinced into accepting this bunk bed that was so far out of this world.

“Be careful.” 

A hand stretched out, thin and fragile like broken cold jade. Lin Qingyu also stretched out his hand, but he didn’t dare to borrow any strength from it. He placed his hand ever so lightly on Lu Wancheng’s palm.

Lu Wancheng’s cold extremities were an old problem. Lin Qingyu didn’t possess any sort of yang-heavy physique, but his hands were still much warmer than his. Lu Wancheng felt the warmth and softness in his palm, and before he had time to react, Lin Qingyu had already landed safely and released his hand.

Was this considered hand-holding? Held, but not completely held?

Lu Wancheng let out a couple of muffled coughs. Feeling exhausted, he had to sit back on the bed. He said with a smile, “I wasn’t planning on waking you up either. But eighteen is very important to me, I… I wanted to share this moment with you.”

Lin Qingyu used a firestick to light the candle. He asked, “What’s so important about being eighteen?”

“In my hometown, there are a lot of things boys can do once they turn eighteen, and the same goes for girls.”

“For example?”

“For example, you can play until late at night, you can stay outside by yourself, and you can…” Lu Wancheng stopped, his eyes lingering on Lin Qingyu’s lips. As if he was a little embarrassed, “I’ve been looking forward to this day since I was a child. After I got here, I’ve been counting the days in my heart.” 

Regarding Lu Wancheng’s true identity, the two have always had a tacit understanding. If Lu Wancheng didn’t bring it up, Lin Qingyu never took the initiative to ask. However, he was still able to piece together the image of this other person from Lu Wancheng’s occasional words.

He didn’t know how the boy turned into Lu Wancheng. He didn’t want to believe in the supernatural, but he believed in his own gut feelings.

The boy was probably a smart and lazy teenager, in good health but always lacking sleep. He certainly wouldn’t have been someone who worked hard in the school: while the teacher lectured on top of the podium, he slept soundly off it. Yet, despite this, he could still win the top spot for all their assessments. He must have very good looks and has unwittingly captured the hearts of many of his classmates. The snacks he received from his admirers, he shared with his friends. It was a pity that he was too lazy to even respond to other people’s good impression, so much so that he has never even held a girl’s hand.

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Lin Qingyu asked knowingly, “Oh, and to whose credit could it have been that you’ve been able to persist to your eighteenth birthday?”

“Of course it’s to our Doctor Lin’s credit.” His body was too weak and though Lu Wancheng couldn’t get his words to come out loudly, a smile could be made out in his tone, “Qingyu, I’m really happy that I was able to live to reach eighteen. So no matter how it was supposed to be originally, Doctor Lin, who instead of poisoning me, gave me an extra half year of life, has always been in my eyes a beautiful and kind-hearted protagonist.” 

“Protagonist” was another unfamiliar word to Lin Qingyu. Maybe it was because the candlelight tonight was too light and gentle, Lin Qingyu didn’t feel like guessing anymore and asked directly, “What does ‘protagonist’ mean?”

Lu Wancheng looked at him and said, “The so-called ‘protagonist’ is the one who no matter how many glints and flashes of swords and daggers, how much foul wind and bloody rain he has experienced, no matter if it’s during the moment he crawls out of the quagmire, he will always be the most dazzling one.”

Lin Qingyu smiled lightly. Seated beside Lu Wancheng, his posture was relaxed, his eyebrows lowered, his eyes restrained; the coldness all over his body had dissipated and his jade-like face was so beautiful under the flickering candlelight that it made one’s heart tremble. With just one glance, Lu Wancheng quickly looked away, not daring to look again.

Shoulder to shoulder, the two sat side by side on the edge of the lower bunk. Lu Wancheng wanted to say something else, but found himself inexplicably lost for words, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He couldn’t squeeze out a single word; only that half-dead thing in his chest jumped violently. 

Lin Qingyu didn’t notice the way he was acting strange. He asked, “In your hometown, what are the customs for celebrating birthdays?”

Lu Wancheng thought about it and said, “We eat longevity noodles?”

Lin Qingyu said, “I’ll have someone help you make it.”

Taking advantage of it being his birthday, Lu Wancheng reached for a yard after getting an inch, “Why won’t you be the one to help me make it?” 

Lin Qingyu paused and said, “I’m not very good at it.”

Lu Wancheng just smiled, his eyes curving, “Then, just do what you can.”

Although Lin Qingyu was not born to a rich and noble family, he was still a proper young master. He had been served by others since he was a child, so he was naturally, he wasn’t very good at cooking. If they were to talk about what he was good at it, then that would be…

Lin Qingyu stood up. “Undress.” 

Lu Wancheng was momentarily stunned, thinking that he had misheard. “What?”

“I’ll give you an acupuncture treatment so that you can sleep more peacefully tonight.”

Lu Wancheng’s smile froze on his face, he raised his hand and scratched his eyelids with the pads of his fingers. “…Thank you.”

On Lu Wancheng’s eighteenth birthday, Lin Qingyu gifted him a good night’s sleep. 

Soon, it was going to be winter. Hua Lu folded and piled up the spring and autumn clothes. She put them in the cabinet and changed them out for the thick clothes of autumn and winter. Last year’s old winter clothes were all put in boxes. Hua Lu spent a lot of time sorting them out. Unexpectedly, she found a special set of gorgeous brocade robes in the depths of the wooden box. It was the wedding dress Lin Qingyu wore when he married into the Hou Mansion. Both the crown and veil he wore that day were packed together with it.

Unmarried girls were always enthralled by wedding dresses. Hua Lu unfolded the wedding dress and hung it up. Admiring, she said, “Young Master, Shaojun, look at what I found.”

Lu Wancheng looked over but couldn’t understand what she was excited about. “What is this?”

“This is the wedding dress Shaojun wore when he got married, don’t you remember?” 

Lu Wancheng sat up straight and looked at it for a long time. He said, “It seems it is.”

Lin Qingyu said indifferently, “What are you doing taking this out?”

Hua Lu smiled and said, “Shaojun usually wears plain clothes dyed only a single color and the one you wear most often is white. I have never seen you wearing bright colors.”

Huan Tong interjected, “Didn’t you see him the day Young Master and Young Master Hou got married?” 

“At that time, Young Master was wearing a veil to cover his face. It doesn’t count since I didn’t see his face.” Hua Lu looked at the thoughtful Lu Wancheng and joked playfully, “Young Master, when you lifted the veil and saw Shaojun in his wedding dress, were you shocked?”

Lu Wancheng was heartbroken: “…I forgot.”

He only thing he remembered was seeing a great classical beauty upon waking up. Then he was too busy being shocked that he forgot to engrave the beauty of this man in his heart. After all that, he was so sleepy that he fell asleep. Looking back now, he only remembered that he was good-looking but he really didn’t have an impression of just how good.

Hua Lu’s eyes narrowed: “That was a once-in-a-lifetime event, how could you forget?” 

“There’s nothing surprising about it.” Lin Qingyu added a few pieces of charcoal to the brazier in front of Lu Wancheng, “I myself don’t remember how Young Master Hou looked like in his wedding clothes.”

On their wedding night, all he thought about was how to poison Lu Wancheng to make him die sooner. How could he have had any other thought to spare on looking at some wedding clothes?

Lu Wancheng pushed the wheelchair to stand before the unfurled wedding dress. He reached out and touched the gorgeous golden silk. He said, “Tell me, Qingyu, how much money will it take for you to wear it again and show me.”

Lin Qingyu didn’t even lift his head. “If you want worn so much, why don’t you wear it yourself?” 

“I’ll wear it, we can wear it together.” Seeing that Lin Qingyu remained unmoved, Lu Wancheng said cheekily, “Please, Oh Miracle-working Doctor Lin.”

“You would bow your head to ask for this trifling matter? Can’t you have a bit more dignity?”

Lu Wancheng whispered, “Because I really want to see it.” If he were to see it again, he would definitely remember it even if he were to die.

Lin Qingyu hadn’t had a chance to respond yet when a servant came in to pass on the message that Pan Yiniang was inviting Shaojun to discuss matters in the front hall. 

Early this morning, Lu Niantao had taken a carriage to the palace. This time, Liang Shi did not accompany her.

The candidates for the prince’s side concubine hadn’t yet been determined. The Empress invited all the noble girls into the palace, saying that it was to admire the flowers. However, everyone knew that this was actually a selection interview for the prince. As soon as the flower viewing party was over, the position of the prince’s concubine would be decided.

Although Nan’an Hou deliberately kept his distance from the crown prince, he still had a positive attitude towards his daughter’s possible selection. The selection of the side concubine was open and aboveboard; it also had the Emperor’s approval. When all was said and done, the crown prince was the crown prince. Sooner or later, he was going to rule the empire. If Nan’an Hou could have his daughter by his side, this could be considered as having a backer in the future.

“According to the momo in the Second Young Lady’s courtyard, the Second Young Lady dressed very plainly today. She used to prefer delicate pink but for her trip to the palace this time, she wore plain white and did not wear too many hair accessories on her head.” Pan Shi said, “Compared to the other noble girls, I’m afraid that while she may appear more elegant but not rich enough.” 

Lin Qingyu sneered, “Don’t worry, the crown prince might just be fine with this.”

Pan Shi said cautiously, “I also heard that her makeup for this time’s trip to the palace was a bit strange. She made a beauty mole under her left eye, just… just like yours, Shaojun.”

Lin Qingyu didn’t have any special reaction when he heard this. He said with a cold expression, “This is the path she chose herself. No one forced her; no one tempted her. If something were to happen in the future, she will have no one to blame but herself. This has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Pan Shi lowered her eyes and agreed, “This is but natural.” 

Seeing that Pan Shi made no move to leave, Lin Qingyu asked, “Is there anything else Yiniang wishes to discuss?”

Pan Shi hesitated for a moment then said, “I remembered that Shaojun said before that the Young Master… Won’t make it to the end of the year.”

Lin Qingyu was slightly startled. He said, “Indeed.”

“It is already October,” Pan Shi looked as though she couldn’t bear it, “Is it time to start preparing for the Young Master’s funeral?” 

Lin Qingyu was silent for a while and said, “I will handle this matter myself.”